


Sheltered

by BriannaNicole



Category: The Walking Dead & Related Fandoms, The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Flirting, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-08
Updated: 2018-02-08
Packaged: 2019-03-15 15:49:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,739
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13616598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BriannaNicole/pseuds/BriannaNicole
Summary: Daryl finds the group shelter for the night but Rick is still restless.





	Sheltered

**Author's Note:**

> HAAALO! HOWS IT GOIN?! I MADE A THING! 
> 
> *happy dance!!*
> 
> So i got a new job so hopefully I'll be around more!

Fucked up. 

That's what this ragged day has been from the time Rick and his family set their worn shoes to the ground. A horde of the dead has been following them for days and no matter what distractions Rick comes up with, no matter how far and long they run, the horde seems to catch up with them. 

They've barely had time to breathe before more of the bastards were there, seemingly appearing out of thin air. Daryl lucked out in finding a cave just as the moon reached its highest point in the cloudless black sky and everyone was more than glad to rest for a while. Piss breaks, Rick muses, are an awfully good thing sometimes. Yet neither he nor Daryl are particularly pleased with it being that the cave only has one way out or in but both men can tell their family is out of endurance for the day. 

With Michonne and Maggie out finding enough dry wood for a small fire, Rick takes stock of their remaining ammo. It's woefully pitiful, Rick himself only has a handful of bullets for his pistol left and Daryl has the 3 arrows he had the time to retrieve in the ongoing chaos of the day. Maggie had run out of ammo long ago and is down to a bloodied knife she swiped off one of the dead. 

Rick just barely bites back a sigh as the ladies expertly strike the small fire to life, fully revealing their living quarters for the night. Privately, he admits to himself that he's more than glad to have some shelter, to be out of sight for a while. The cave is a bit larger than Rick orignally thought, its walls damp from the moist fog they experienced earlier. Thankfully, the ground is dry enough to sleep on, wide enough to give everyone a semblance of their own space. Not that they really need it, Rick and the others are more than used to sleeping almost on top of each other.

The small fire flames up but Rick doesn't dare close his eyes like he'd like to. He's tired but his body is still tensed and ready to fight, his fingers grazing restlessly over the handle of his gun. He feels like he can still hear the snarls of walkers and it makes him want to slide it from its holster so he tries to settle in to listen to the muted crackle of the warmth instead. 

All he wants to do at this point is clear his mind, but of course, that won't happen. Instead, Rick watches Daryl make his rounds around the group, asking them what they need, if they're alright and if they'll be ready to leave in the morning. The archer sits for a while with the kids, taking a moment to hold Judith close to his chest while convincing Carl that they're safe for now. The older kid doesn't look convinced though, showing it by taking apart his gun and meticulously cleaning it. Rick senses more than sees the sigh building in Daryl's chest but Daryl nods his understanding and drops a kiss on Judy's head before handing her over to Carol. 

Rick really doesn't know where to go from here, doesn't know if they ran long or far enough to truly be safe for the night. He doesn't know if the food his people are sharing will last any longer than two days at most, nor does he know how much longer he can push them towards the promise of safety that he's yet to follow through on.

_Damn_

What if they walk out in the morning and this fucking horde is out there beyond the bushes just waiting? What if a large group wanders in here, catching them unaware? Is the fire too large, are they making too much noise? Judith is only a baby and babies _do_ cry sometimes, she doesn't understand the critical situation she's in. And if she does cry will he have what she needs to satisfy her...how-?.

A strong hand clasps Rick's shoulder and he almost jumps out of his skin. The familiarity of that large palm is the only thing that keeps him still. Daryl sits beside him with a bowl of soup that's more water than anything else and offers Rick his own serving. Rick wordlessly shakes his head to refuse but finds the bowl shoved into his hands anyway. 

"Eat", is the only word Daryl grunts before digging into his own, all but slurping it down by mouthfuls. Rick frowns at the makeshift bowl, hesitating, his eyes shift to his eldest child. He knows his son is struggling to grow and needs this food more than he does. Logically, Rick knows he should eat to keep up his strength but there's not anything he wouldn't give up for his children, including his body and wellbeing. Before Rick can get his feet under him to stand Daryl's hand curves over his thigh and rubs soothingly effectively stalling his progress. 

Daryl sets aside his bowl and uses his free hand to wipe the remains of the "soup" from his lips. For a moment he watches Rick's bearded profile, watching the fine muscles of the man's jaw twitch, his teeth all but grinding together. Anxiety and fear, Rick has gotten it written across his face. His eyes are glued to his children and Daryl already knows what he's thinking so he squeezes his lover's thigh almost to the point of pain. 

"Rick. Eat, please", he whispers, giving the firm thigh beneath his palm a slight shake. "They're alright."

Rick's head slowly turns toward him and Daryl can almost hear the bones in his neck creaking. Rick swallows around his words but manages to speak, "It's not enough."

"'Course it is, sweetheart. It'll keep 'em goin' a little while longer. Just you wait and see." Daryl knows that's not the exact truth. This water-in-a-bowl ain't enough but he really can't stand to see his lover so lost in his fear. He offers Rick a smile he's not so sure is convincing and is grateful to see him considering the meal going cold in his hands.

Ricks nods and brings the rim of the bowl to his lips, tipping it so that the contents flow between them, almost choking on it and the guilt he feels. After he's finished Rick's hands drop down to cover Daryl's and he squeezes, letting out a sigh through his nose before setting his own bowl to the side. 

Both men sit in silence for a while, listening to the sounds of the night and hearing nothing but normal noises for the moment. They watch their resting family as they silently settle down for the night. Carol is situated by the kids, Maggie is reclined against the far wall with her younger sister's head pillowed in her lap and Michonne is off to herself sharpening her katana with well-practiced strokes. Glenn is on guard at the entrance of the cave, his rifle ready in his capable hands. 

Everything seems alright for now allowing Rick to gradually relax and shift closer to his lover, pressing his side against Daryl's. The archer easily accepts his closeness, his hand sliding from Rick's side to wrap an arm around his shoulder. His strong fingers rub lovingly over the worn fabric he knows so well. It's beginning to get colder at night and Daryl's makes a mental note to find Rick and the others warmer clothing before the temperatures drop much further.

"Where we goin' from here, Daryl? Look at our family, man, they're exhausted." Rick says, hoping their group doesn't overhear. 

"Dunno." Daryl answers after a moment. "As long as we stay ahead of 'em, we'll be okay. We can try to circle back if we need to, get behind 'em and find another way. Ain't like we're goin' anywhere in particular." 

"Yea", Rick answers. He considers that as he cups Daryl's knee in his hand where it always pokes out of his jeans. It's so warm to the touch and serves to calm him long enough to weigh the pros and cons of the archer's suggestion. "We can do that but we already know there's nothing back there other than the walkers we killed. We've picked through everything but that might get the fuckers off our backs, let us have a day or so to breathe."

"Mm," is Daryl's only answer. He shrugs suddenly as if dismissing all thought and stands to his feet, extending a hand down to Rick to help him up. Rick immediately takes it and allows himself to be pulled upright. "We'll figure it out come morning. For now, we need rest. You look like hell, Sheriff." Daryl teases. 

Rick huffs and bumps his shoulder with Daryl's, rewarding the archer with the grin he's been waiting all night for. "Whatever, like you look any better."

"You like it." Daryl fires back, shaking out a blanket to save their worn bodies from the rocky ground. Rick drags their packs over to rest their heads on. They stretch out together, stuck to each other from shoulder to ankle. Rick raises Daryl's hand and kisses the back of it making the archer snort and bat at him. 

"You're right, I do. Love it, in fact. Love you." Rick confesses. 

"Yeah, Duh." Daryl deadpans but ends up smiling because...well hell. In all the time they've been together and after all the shit they've been through those words never fail to feed his soul.

Rick rolls onto his side to hover over Daryl's face, the faint glow of the fire outlines his rough features perfectly. Daryl can't help but lean up to close the distance between them. Rick tastes like the soup they just shared but the archer could really care less. They melt into each other making Rick think less of the pressing issues waiting for them in the morning. Daryl's fingers trail into Rick's hair, twining in the curls now grown out to the bottom of his neck and barely stifles a moan. 

" _Ugh!_. Get a room!" Glenn hisses from somewhere in the distance. Daryl answers him with his signature middle finger and pulls Rick down further, deepening the kiss. Glenn's indignant scoff goes unnoticed. 

Yeah, today was fucked up and it sucked but the end is turning out to be quite perfect. Quite perfect indeed.


End file.
